Forget birthdays. Forget anniversaries. Forget Christmas. For horror lovers, there is nothing better than Halloween Horror Nights. Since 1991, Universal Orlando has grown into a world-class event almost every year, and even three decades later Despite it is a leader in a rapidly growing industry. Leveraging all of Universal's in-house creatives, storytellers, set designers and proprietary and licensed intellectual property, the event becomes increasingly important in the company's calendar, cash flow and prestige.

Every year, fans wait with bated breath (assembling “speculation maps,” keeping an eye out for construction, and preparing for viral revelations) as Universal unveils an all-new series of haunted houses, “scare zones,” and in-park entertainment offerings full of “scares.” .

But if you ask those in the know, there seems to be a kind of sullen indifference to this year's “Halloween Horror Nights 33” among the “HHN” community, insisting that something is right out of – although no one seems to be able to say for sure What The problem can be. But we have some ideas. Take a look at our list below. Did you notice any of these issues at Halloween Horror Nights this year? And what should Universal do in the future to combat them?

1. The symbols

In a time when there are no more theme parks hard Universal is built on proven blockbuster IP and is often viewed as a company that never develops attractions without a film connection. But actually that's not true. Halloween Horror Nights in particular is filled with “original” characters, stories and settings – from individual labyrinths full of their own “lore” to entire mythologies that unite the entire event in an overarching framework story.

A legendary aspect of Horror Nights is the events' rotating cast of “icons” – central characters whose backstory is intricately interwoven with the event. The caretaker oversaw the event in 2002; the Disgraced Director in 2003; There was the usher who invited guests into the 2009 cinema program, or the elderly storyteller who created the realm of Terra Cruentus in 2005. And of course, there's nothing better than Jack the Clown – a recurring force that keeps coming back. 2023 introduced Doctor Oddfellow – the carnival maestro behind Jack – who performed in all the houses and scare zones at the event.

As a testament to how deeply rooted the Icons are, the 2010 event introduced the silent figure who had been secretly orchestrating the other Icons all along (the embodiment of fear), whose Lantern Realm in which the Icons were trapped became the setting for 2021's “Icons: Captured” became ” Labyrinth.

Not everyone The year of the event has a clear, defined symbol. Especially in modern times, explorable websites full of Easter eggs, detailed backstories and central “symbols,” as well as mysterious, enigmatic house reveals have largely been replaced by tweet announcements. But this year's icons are… well… kind of lame.

“Sinst3r” and “Surr3al” are described as “demon queens” and theoretically embody grotesque, gory body horror and more mind-bending, otherworldly, cosmic horror, respectively. But they don't really have a story or a connection to the event or a truly “iconic” reputation. Maybe they're not even trying to be “icons” in the classic sense, but rather closer to the “main characters” we've seen in the past, like Lady Luck, the Terra Queen or Bloody Mary. But these two certainly make HHN 2024 feel like an “off year.” Speaking of…

2. The opening act

“Scarezones” (i.e. scary transformations of parts of the park) are an integral part of what makes Horror Nights Horror Nights. You only get one chance to make a first impression, meaning every year the scare zone that occupies Universal Studios' Front Lot and Production Central tends to be the one in which the event defines itself. This “opening act” scare zone is supposed to be an onslaught of characters with a kind of dark, demented party atmosphere for guests being herded together like cattle. That's what last year's scare zone – Dr. Oddfellow's Collection of Horror – did it.

But this year’s entry – “Duality of Fear” by Sinist3r and Surr3al – misses the mark significantly. Despite the wise choice of whether to go for grounded, visceral horror or unleashed cosmic horror, this scare zone consists of…well…the two queens standing on a scaffold above the crowd, vamping while a random collection of scareactors walk around . There are no sets, no real props and unfortunately no “duality” or choice at all.

To be fair, this is partly due to a major change at Studios Park. Much of the former “Production Central” (which serves as the park's main street) has been co-opted as part of Minion Land, putting Horror Nights' designers in a difficult situation. By squeezing “Duality of Fear” into this tiny space – and without a strong, grounded setting or characters like Dr. Oddfellow and his carnival – Horror Nights 33 immediately feels… different.

And that's not all…